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Cape Town - The DA intends to table a private members bill to ensure better public consultation before the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) can construct toll roads.
The party’s spokesperson on transport, Manny de Freitas, said at a media briefing on Wednesday the decision to implement e-tolling in Gauteng was stream-rolled and bulldozed despite heavy opposition from the public and several institutions.
A private members bill is a piece of legislation that is introduced by a private member of parliament – De Freitas in this case – which is not part of government’s planned legislation. However, private members bills seldom become legislation.
In the soon to be tabled bill, the DA will propose that all spheres of government which will be affected by toll roads should be consulted, including provincial and local authorities.
“In addition, Sanral should build an alternative road so that motorists who can’t afford the e-tolls have other options. And we’re not talking about a dirt road that takes twice as long,” De Freitas said.
READ: Outa: Toll roads have become cash cows
The DA would also urge Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to consider alternative means of funding road construction in the country, as it’s “a myth that the user-pay-principle works”, he added.
Asked which alternative funding the party would suggest to Gordhan, De Freitas said the DA would consider a “hybrid scenario” – other income streams which will be determined from province to province.
“There shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all across South Africa,” De Freitas said. “We tend to say everything must fit the same. There are differences and we must adapt a plan according to the local circumstances.”
